Amy Foundation 10K to Establish Diagnostic Ultrasound Program

“The Amy Fund” to Assist Potential Breast-Cancer Patients

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - It’s a frightening moment when, following a routine mammogram, a woman is told that her X-rays show something suspicious and her doctor suggests further diagnostic testing.

Imagine if the woman has no health insurance or other financial means to cover follow-up testing.

“Such women live in fear. Maybe they have breast cancer; maybe they don’t … and they can’t find out because they can’t pay for it,” said Arie Behar, president of The Amy Foundation, which is dedicated to increasing early detection and treatment of breast cancer for women without health-care coverage.

To help remove what Behar describes as a terrible “cloud of uncertainty,” The Amy Foundation has donated $10,000 to the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Foundation in New Brunswick to establish “The Amy Fund” to support diagnostic procedures, such as ultrasounds, for women whose mammograms suggest the possibility of breast cancer.

“We are deeply grateful for the contributions of generous organizations like the Amy Foundation,” explains Lynn Lutwin, R.N., director of the Breast Care Connection at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH). “These funds will give us the critical support we need to provide access to essential diagnostic services, like ultrasounds, to many more women who may be at-risk for breast cancer.”

For The Amy Foundation, “The Amy Fund” represents an expansion of its programs from financial assistant for mammogram screenings to supporting diagnostic ultrasounds for women whose screenings suggest suspicion of cancer.

To date, the Amy Foundation has helped more than 1,000 women in central New Jersey receive free mammograms. “Our collective efforts are making a real difference in the lives of women who lack financial means and we want to reach many others who need our help,” said Behar, who created The Amy Foundation in memory of his wife, Amy, who died of breast cancer in March 2007 at 49.

“Support of diagnostic testing is a logical next step for The Amy Foundation, and we’re excited and gratified to also be working with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.”

The Amy Foundation sponsors a variety of annual fund-raising events, including the “Bike Ride for Amy” each spring and the “Walk for Diane” each fall. More information about the Amy Foundation is available on its website, www.amyfoundation.org.

About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is a 965-bed academic medical center with campuses in New Brunswick and Somerville, NJ. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, joint replacement, and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). As the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, RWJUH is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care. A Level 1 Trauma Center and the only Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.

RWJUH has been ranked among the best hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report seven times and has been selected by the publication as a high performing hospital in numerous specialties. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital has been ranked among the best hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report for three consecutive years.

Both the New Brunswick and Somerset campuses have earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet® Award for Nursing Excellence, an “A” patient safety rating from the Leapfrog Group and “Most Wired” designation by Hospitals and Health Networks Magazine. The Joint Commission and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services have designated the New Brunswick Campus as a Comprehensive Stroke Center and the Somerset Campus as a Primary Stroke Center.

The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH New Brunswick among the nation’s best comprehensive cancer centers and designated the Steeplechase Cancer Center at RWJ Somerset as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center. The Joint Surgery Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for total knee and total hip replacement surgery.